Bringing an end to the traffic woes of the residents of Kumbalam panchayat and Maradu municipality, the Kumbalam-Nettoor bridge connecting the panchayat and the municipality will soon be a reality.
According to officials, a high-level committee of the Revenue Department has given the nod for the design of the bridge. It has also given the permission to the respective local bodies to acquire land for constructing approach roads for the bridge.
Maradu municipal chairman T K Devarajan said the land acquisition will be conducted in association with the Kumbalam panchayat and the Revenue Department.
“Nearly 15.5 cents of land is needed from the panchayat and the municipality. A total of ` 25 lakh and `35 lakh have been allocated in the budget of the local bodies for land acquisition. Moreover, `15 crore has been allotted by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development for constructing the bridge,” he said.
According to the officials, the land acquisition would be completed on a fast-track basis. “It will be completed in two months,” said a Revenue Department official.
Meanwhile, Harbour Engineering Department officials said that they expect to construct the bridge in 18 months. The work will begin as soon as the land acquisition is completed.
“The 120-metre-long bridge which connects Kumbalam and Nettoor will be twelve-and-a-half metre wide. The approach roads on either sides will be 50 metre long and 15 metre wide,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kumbalam panchayat president A J Joseph said that the bridge will be of great relief to the commuters. “People can avoid more than six kilometres of journey if they want to reach Nettoor from Kumbalam north,” he said.